"Great Beach Street"

39th street is nearly as far north as you can get in Manhattan Beach before you get into El Segundo. 39th and the Strand is an area of MB that everyone calls El Porto. The particular beach of El Porto is pretty wimpy as far as surf goes but most of the South Bay is anyway. El Porto isn't a very popular beach as far as the south bay goes and I never understood why. I love El Porto and maybe it's because it's not that popular so it's not as crowded. Most of the South Bay is overrun with people (mostly young people). It is so crowded in Manhattan Beach the closer you get to Hermosa Beach, but El Porto area is never really that bad. Sure, there isn't as much to do in the area, but it's not like the walk is all that far.
I used to live at 39th and the Strand and I loved it. Panchos and Sharkeez were within 8 minutes of walking and the beach was literally at my feet. Sure, 39th isn't ideal the further north you get from Highland. But, Manhattan Beach is all around pretty cool. And, 39th and the Strand area is great because it's a beach area that isn't overly rowdy. Sure, parking is horrendous. But, it is in all beach communities of Los Angeles. And, there are some great bars, the beach isn't as crowded as, say, the 26th street area, and it's much closer to the freeway than most of Manhattan Beach. 39th is minutes away from Rosecrans which is the 405 and 105 entrance street; so, if you're going to live in MB and work in the city, El Porto is the way to go. I loved living on 39th.